The Addams Family (1991) Dir: Barry Sonnenfield
- Ridley Coote
- Jun 27
- 2 min read
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The iconic Addams Family has been around since the 60's, but their most popular iteration has been in the two Barry Sonnenfield directed films from the early 90's. I for one have always thoroughly enjoyed them, but I had yet to review either of them. It was with that in mind that I decided to give them a rewatch, starting with the first one, from 1991.
Admittedly, some of the visual effects are very cheesy and of their time, but that's all part of their charm, in my opinion. The aesthetic of this film is truly wonderful, particularly the costume designs. There's a reason why these characters are mainstays of gothic costume parties and Halloween outings.
I love how silly the story is. It encapsulates all the fun, absurdity and gothic hijinks of the famous family perfectly. It mixes child-friendly humour with some cheeky innuendo and implication that makes for plenty of adult amusement too. The film has some very quotable lines of dialogue and so many memorable moments, particularly involving Gomez and Morticia, of course.
Speaking of whom, Raúl Juliá and Anjelica Huston provide the film with one of cinema's most romantic and popular couples. Their chemistry is virtually unrivalled - they truly eat up the screen together. I absolutely adore these two in these roles; they are perfectly cast, and deliver a pair of immensely enjoyable and deliciously divine performances.
Christopher Lloyd gives one of his greatest and most iconic performances as the goofy and deranged Uncle Fester. He brings so much fun to the role, as well as his trademark larger-than-life facial expressions. The remaining supporting cast members provide all sorts of silliness and enjoyment in their own right, with the most mentionable names being Christina Ricci, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson, Jimmy Workman and Carel Struycken.
Overall, I always find this film to be such a lighthearted good time, and a bit of a bad mood cure-all. Comfort films are supposed to make you happy, and few films make me as happy as this one. It's always good to reminded of how fun films can be, and this is a terrific example of just that. It always makes me want to watch the sequel too, which is no bad thing either.
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